CategoryState

Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey: New Jersey roundup

By Mercedes Yanora
In State
May 25, 2023 at 5:03 PM

New Jersey is holding elections, including for legislative offices, on June 6, 2023. A number of candidates running in these elections completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey. These survey responses allow voters to hear directly from candidates about what motivates them to run for office.

Below is a selection of responses from the candidates who filled out the survey as of May 25. To read each candidate’s full responses, click their name at the bottom of the article.

Incumbent Yraida Aponte-Lipski (D) is running for Hudson County Board of Chosen Freeholders District 4, and the Democratic primary election is on June 6. Here’s how Aponte-Lipski responded to the question: What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

“Causes that I have worked on specifically are balanced/stable budgets, … direct services for our homeless and senior neighbors, helicopter reduction in our area, bike-pedestrian-vehicular safety and education, protecting Liberty State Park, women’s empowerment, helping families apply for admissions to Hudson County Schools of Technology and Hudson County Community College as well as appeal decisions that are not favorable, worked with inmates at the county jail, their families, and jail staff to facilitate optimum communication, and, lastly, being a commissioner on the County planning board who has missed only 1 meeting.”

Click here to read the rest of Aponte-Lipski’s answers. 

Chris Auriemma (R) is running for New Jersey State Senate District 36, and the Republican primary election is on June 6. Here’s how Auriemma responded to the question: What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

“Parental Rights. We pay for the schools and we have a right to what our children are taught. We have children who cannot read or do math at college level leaving high school unprepared for the real world. There are so many parents who are afraid to s[p]eak out against these radical politics going into the classrooms.”

Click here to read the rest of Auriemma’s answers. 

Mario De Santis (D) is running for New Jersey State Senate District 3, and the Democratic primary election is on June 6. Here’s how De Santis responded to the question: What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

“Education, public safety, healthcare, & economic opportunities.”

Click here to read the rest of De Santis’ answers. 

Roger Forest Locandro (R) is running for New Jersey State Senate District 15, and the Republican primary election is on June 6. Here’s how Locandro responded to the question: What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

  • “Jobs
  • Education
  • Work Force Development
  • Green Sustainability
  • Equity in opportunity
  • Agriculture, Solar, Hydro Electric Geothermal”

Click here to read the rest of Locandro’s answers. 

If you’re a New Jersey candidate or incumbent, click here to take the survey. The survey contains over 30 questions, and you can choose the ones you feel will best represent your views to voters. If you complete the survey, a box with your answers will display on your Ballotpedia profile. Your responses will also populate the information that appears in our mobile app, My Vote Ballotpedia.

Additional reading: 



DeSantis signs bill removing resign-to-run requirement for presidential candidates in Florida

By Ellen Morrissey
In State
May 25, 2023 at 5:00 PM

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) signed SB 7050 into law on May 24, 2023. SB 7050 is an elections bill that includes a provision removing Florida’s resign-to-run requirement for presidential and vice presidential candidates. DeSantis also filed to run in the 2024 presidential election that day.

Under the new law, president and vice president are the only government offices explicitly exempted from Florida’s resign-to-run law. Before the passage of SB 7050, Florida’s resign-to-run law seemed to require candidates running for any government office, including president and vice president, to resign from office.

The law was amended in 2018 to say, in part, “any officer who qualifies for federal public office must resign from the office he or she presently holds if the terms, or any part thereof, run concurrently with each other.” This appeared to reverse a 2007 amendment to the law that removed the resign-to-run requirement for presidential and vice presidential candidates.

State Sen. Travis Hutson (R) introduced the resign-to-run removal amendment on April 25. The Florida State Senate voted to approve the full bill 28-12 on April 26, and the Florida House of Representatives approved the bill 76-34 on April 28.

In addition to Florida, four other states have resign-to-run laws on the books: Arizona, Georgia, Hawaii, and Texas.

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At least 28 state legislators have been expelled since 2000

By Juan Garcia de Paredes
In State
May 25, 2023 at 2:58 PM

Last month, three elected officials were expelled from state legislatures: Reps. Liz Harris (R-Ariz.), Justin Jones (D-Tenn.), and Justin Pearson (D-Tenn.). 

Local officials later re-appointed Jones and Pearson to their seats. The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors appointed Julie Willoughby (R) to Harris’ seat on May 5. 

In order to determine how often lawmakers are expelled, we have been digging into the historical data.

Including the three recent expulsions in Arizona and Tennessee, we have found 28 cases of elected officials expelled from state legislatures since 2000. For 20, the chambers voted to expel them, and eight were removed automatically following criminal convictions under state law.

Of those 28, 22 expelled legislators were members of their chamber’s majority party, and six were minority party members, shown below:

Looking further back, we have found 79 expulsions, in total, between 1813 and 2023. This includes 39 Democrats, 29 Republicans, and six members of the Socialist Party.

Some noteworthy cases include:

  • John Wilson (D), former Speaker of the Arkansas House, was expelled in 1837 after killing a colleague during a knife fight on the chamber floor;
  • John P. Slough (D), a member of the Ohio House of Representatives, was expelled in 1857 after punching a colleague during an argument on the floor;
  • E.L. Alford (R), a member of the Texas State Senate, was expelled in 1870 for resisting arrest by the body’s sergeant-at-arms;
  • Frank Raguse, a Wisconsin state senator and a member of the Socialist Party, was expelled in 1917 for alleged disloyalty to the United States;
  • Dean Skelos (R), former New York Senate Majority Leader, was automatically expelled in 2015 after being convicted on federal corruption charges; and,
  • Sheldon Silver (D), former Speaker of the New York Assembly, was automatically expelled in 2015 after being convicted of federal corruption charges.


Wisconsin Supreme Court issues three opinions from May 15-21

By Mercedes Yanora
In State
May 24, 2023 at 9:02 PM

The Wisconsin Supreme Court issued three opinions from May 15-21. As of May 21, the court issued 34 opinions in 2023 — 10 more than this point a year ago. The three opinions are below: 

  • Fleming v. Amateur Athletic Union of United States, Inc., where the court “affirmed the order of the circuit court dismissing Femala Fleming’s action against Amateur Athletic Union of the United States, Inc. (AAU) as untimely under Wis. Stat. 893.54, holding that Fleming’s negligence claim against AAU was not timely filed.”
  • State v. Johnson, where the court “overruled State v. Shiffra, 499 N.W.2d 719 (Wis. Ct. App. 1993), which created a process by which a criminal defendant could obtain a limited review by way of in camera review by the court of a victim’s privately-held, otherwise privileged health records, holding that Shiffra is unsound in principle and unworkable in practice and has been undermined by developments in the law.”
  • Wisconsin Justice Initiative, Inc. v. Wisconsin Elections Commission, where the court “held that the challenges to the victim’s rights amendment termed ‘Marsy’s Law’ that was brought by Wisconsin Justice Initiative, Inc. and several citizens (WJI) failed and that the amendment was validly ratified and properly part of the Wisconsin Constitution.”

From May 15-21, state supreme courts issued 186 opinions nationally. The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia issued the most with 21. State supreme courts in 15 states issued the fewest with zero. Courts where judges are elected have issued 121 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 65.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the state’s court of last resort and has seven judgeships. The current chief of the court is Annette Ziegler. The court issued 68 opinions in 2022 and 79 in 2021. Nationally, state supreme courts issued 7,423 opinions in 2022 and 8,320 in 2021. The courts have issued 2,660 opinions in 2023. Courts where judges are elected have issued 1,511 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 1,149. Wisconsin is a divided government, meaning neither party holds trifecta control.

Additional reading:



Iowa Supreme Court issues two opinions from May 15-21

By Mercedes Yanora
In State
May 24, 2023 at 8:43 PM

The Iowa Supreme Court issued two opinions from May 15-21. As of May 21, the court issued 56 opinions in 2023 — five fewer than this point a year ago. Both of the opinions are below: 

  • Sutton v. Council Bluffs Water Works, where the court “affirmed the judgment of the district court denying the motion filed by the Council Bluffs Water Works’ to dismiss the claim brought by Jim and Angela Sutton for strict liability, holding that the district court did not err in failing to dismiss Suttons’ strict liability claim.”
  • Venckus v. City of Iowa City, where the court “affirmed the judgment of the district court granting summary judgment to a police detective and his city employer in this case alleging defamation, abuse of process, and malicious prosecution, holding that there was no error.” 

From May 15-21, state supreme courts issued 186 opinions nationally. The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia issued the most with 21. State supreme courts in 15 states issued the fewest with zero. Courts where judges are elected have issued 121 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 65.

The Iowa Supreme Court is the state’s court of last resort and has seven judgeships. The current chief of the court is Susan Christensen. The court issued 110 opinions in 2022 and 112 in 2021. Nationally, state supreme courts issued 7,423 opinions in 2022 and 8,320 in 2021. The courts have issued 2,660 opinions in 2023. Courts where judges are elected have issued 1,511 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 1,149. Iowa is a Republican trifecta, meaning Republicans control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.  

Additional reading: 



Colorado Supreme Court issues four opinions from May 15-21

By Mercedes Yanora
In State
May 24, 2023 at 8:28 PM
Photo of Colorado State Supreme Court building

The Colorado Supreme Court issued four opinions from May 15-21. As of May 21, the court issued 25 opinions in 2023 — one more than this point a year ago. Three of four opinions are below: 

  • Arvada Village Gardens v. Garate, where the court concluded that the federal 30-day notice provision enacted under the CARES Act is still in effect for covered properties. 
  • In the Matter of: Former Judge Mark D. Thompson, where the court publicly censured Former Judge Mark D. Thompson of the Fifth Judicial District and upheld the recommendations of the Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline.
  • Liggett v. Colorado, where the court affirmed that “when a defendant presents psychiatric evidence supporting their insanity defense, they can open the door to the admission of psychiatric evidence rebutting that defense, even if the evidence includes the defendant’s voluntary but non-Miranda-compliant statements. Additionally, the Court held that § 16-8-103.6(2)(a), C.R.S. (2022)’s waiver of privilege as to ‘communications made by the defendant to a physician or psychologist’ includes communications made to a physician’s or psychologist’s agents.”

From May 15-21, state supreme courts issued 186 opinions nationally. The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia issued the most with 21. State supreme courts in 15 states issued the fewest with zero. Courts where judges are elected have issued 121 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 65.

The Colorado Supreme Court is the state’s court of last resort and has seven judgeships. The current chief of the court is Brian Boatright. The court issued 61 opinions in 2022 and 59 in 2021. Nationally, state supreme courts issued 7,423 opinions in 2022 and 8,320 in 2021. The courts have issued 2,660 opinions in 2023. Courts where judges are elected have issued 1,511 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 1,149. Colorado is a Democratic trifecta, meaning Democrats control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.

Additional reading: 



More absentee ballot drop box legislation introduced in 2023 than 2022

By Ethan Rice
In State, Uncategorized
May 24, 2023 at 8:19 PM

State legislators have introduced more legislation regulating the availability and security of absentee ballot drop boxes this year than in 2022. Legislators have introduced 34 bills related to ballot drop boxes in 2023. Three (9%) of these bills have become law. At this point in 2022, legislators had introduced 26 bills, and two (8%) had been enacted. 

These bills can generally fit into two subcategories: drop box availability and drop box security. Bills concerning drop box availability regulate the allowance, availability, or placement of ballot drop boxes. Drop box security bills contain set or alter requirements for the physical security of drop boxes, such as requiring security cameras or in-person staffing.

Democrats have introduced more drop box availability bills overall, sponsoring 38 bills since the start of 2022 compared to Republicans’ 31. Republicans have introduced more drop box security bills, sponsoring 19 compared to Democrats’ 13. Republicans sponsored all seven bills introduced during this time to prohibit drop boxes entirely.

Drop box availability

State legislatures have considered five more bills dealing with drop-box availability this year (29 bills) than at this point in 2022 (23 bills). Two states have enacted drop box availability bills so far in 2023, the same number as this point in 2022. Nine drop box availability bills were enacted in 2022.

Of the two drop box availability bills enacted this year, Arkansas’ Republican-sponsored bill, SB258, prohibits election officials from establishing or using a drop box to collect absentee ballots. New Mexico’s Democratic-sponsored bill, SB180, prohibits anyone other than the secretary of state or the county clerk from providing or operating a drop box. In 2022, Utah (HB0313) and Washington (HB1716) had each enacted a bill on the topic. Republicans sponsored the Utah bill, which required election officials to designate at least one ballot drop box in each municipality and reservation located in the jurisdiction to which the election relates. Democrats sponsored the Washington bill, which required county auditors to open a voting center with a ballot drop box for any special elections the county may hold. 

Drop box security

Eighteen of the bills introduced this year deal with drop box security compared with eight bills at this time last year and 21 introduced throughout 2022. Two bills introduced this year have been enacted, two bills had also been enacted at this point in 2022, and three bills on the topic were enacted throughout all of 2022. 

Republicans and Democrats each enacted one drop box security bill in both 2022 and 2023. Utah has enacted one Republican-sponsored bill so far this year. HB0347 makes it a third-degree felony to tamper, destroy, or remove a drop box or its contents. New Mexico enacted the Democrat-sponsored SB180, which in addition to regulating drop box availability, also makes the unlawful operation of absentee ballot drop boxes a fourth-degree felony.

The two drop-box security bills enacted by this point in 2022 were Republican-sponsored Utah HB0313, which required drop boxes to be monitored by recorded video surveillance at all times, and Washington HB1716, which prohibited interfering with voters or disrupting the administration of a voting center, including ballot drop boxes. Ohio later enacted Republican-sponsored HB458, requiring drop boxes to be monitored by recorded video surveillance. 

Ballotpedia’s comprehensive Election Administration Legislation Tracker is the basis for the data and analysis in this report. This user-friendly tracker covers thousands of election-related bills in state legislatures and organizes them by topic with neutral, expert analysis from Ballotpedia’s election administration researchers.

Image link: https://www.datawrapper.de/_/6Mg47/



Indiana Supreme Court issues one opinion from May 15-21

By Mercedes Yanora
In State
May 24, 2023 at 7:59 PM

The Indiana Supreme Court issued one opinion from May 15-21. As of May 21, the court issued 16 opinions in 2023 — 12 fewer than this point a year ago. The one opinion is below: 

  • Oberhansley v. State, where the court “affirmed Defendant’s sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole (LWOP) in connection with his conviction for the murder and burglary of his ex-girlfriend, holding that Defendant’s LWOP sentence was not inappropriate.”

From May 15-21, state supreme courts issued 186 opinions nationally. The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia issued the most with 21. State supreme courts in 15 states issued the fewest with zero. Courts where judges are elected have issued 121 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 65.

The Indiana Supreme Court is the state’s court of last resort and has five judgeships. The current chief of the court is Loretta H. Rush. The court issued 44 opinions in 2022 and 50 in 2021. Nationally, state supreme courts issued 7,423 opinions in 2022 and 8,320 in 2021. The courts have issued 2,660 opinions in 2023. Courts where judges are elected have issued 1,511 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 1,149. Indiana is a Republican trifecta, meaning Republicans control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.

Additional reading: 



New York Court of Appeals issues four opinions from May 15-21

By Mercedes Yanora
In State
May 24, 2023 at 6:56 PM

The State of New York Court of Appeals issued four opinions from May 15-21. As of May 21, the court issued 30 opinions in 2023 — 10 fewer than this point a year ago. Three of four opinions are below: 

  • People v. Johnson, where the court “reversed the denial of Defendant’s motion to suppress evidence seized as a result of a stop and frisk, holding that the circumstances of this case did not warrant a level three stop and frisk under People v. De Bour, 40 N.Y.2d 210 (1976).”
  • People v. Saenger, where the court “affirmed in part and reversed in part Defendant’s criminal convictions, holding that the count of the indictment charging Defendant with aggravated family offense was jurisdictionally defective and must be dismissed but that there was no error as to Defendant’s conviction of criminal contempt in the first degree.”
  • Hoehmann v. Town of Clarkstown, where the court “affirmed the order of the appellate division concluding that the underlying challenge to Local Law No. 9-2014 was not time-barred by either a four-month or a six-year statute of limitations, holding that there was no error.” Local Law No. 9-2014 “purportedly set an eight-year term limit for all Clarkstown elected officials and required a supermajority vote of the Town Board to repeal.”

From May 15-21, state supreme courts issued 186 opinions nationally. The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia issued the most with 21. State supreme courts in 15 states issued the fewest with zero. Courts where judges are elected have issued 121 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 65.

The State of New York Court of Appeals is the state’s court of last resort and has seven judgeships. The current chief of the court is Rowan Wilson. The court issued 85 opinions in 2022 and 69 in 2021. Nationally, state supreme courts issued 7,423 opinions in 2022 and 8,320 in 2021. The courts have issued 2,660 opinions in 2023. Courts where judges are elected have issued 1,511 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 1,149. New York is a Democratic trifecta, meaning Democrats control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.

Additional reading: 



Florida Supreme Court issues two opinions from May 15-21

By Mercedes Yanora
In State
May 24, 2023 at 6:40 PM

The Florida Supreme Court issued two opinions from May 15-21. As of May 21, the court issued 38 opinions in 2023 — 13 fewer than this point a year ago. Both of the opinions are below: 

  • Orme v. State, where the court “affirmed the sentence of death imposed at Defendant’s second resentencing for first-degree murder, holding that … (1) Defendant’s sentence did not violate the Eighth Amendment; and (2) Defendant’s remaining arguments lacked merit.”
  • Foley v. State, where the court “dismissed Petitioner’s pro se petition for writ of mandamus and sanctioned him for his repeated misuse of the judicial system’s resources, holding that … Petitioner’s petition was frivolous and that Petitioner demonstrated a pattern of vexatious filing of meritless pro se requests for relief.”

From May 15-21, state supreme courts issued 186 opinions nationally. The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia issued the most with 21. State supreme courts in 15 states issued the fewest with zero. Courts where judges are elected have issued 121 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 65.

The Florida Supreme Court is the state’s court of last resort and has seven judgeships. The current chief of the court is Carlos Muñiz. The court issued 108 opinions in 2022 and 115 in 2021. Nationally, state supreme courts issued 7,423 opinions in 2022 and 8,320 in 2021. The courts have issued 2,660 opinions in 2023. Courts where judges are elected have issued 1,511 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 1,149. Florida is a Republican trifecta, meaning Republicans control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.

Additional reading: